Combined trouble lamp guard and reflector



Oct. 7, 1958 r J. A. wAs'sELLE 2,855,501

comammo TROUBLE LAMP cum AND REFLECTOR F iled May 51, 1956 v IINVENTOR.

. Joseph A. Wqsselle ATTORNEY" United States Patent COMBINED TROUBLE LAMP GUARD AND REFLECTOR Joseph A. Wasselle, Bayside, N. Y.

Application May 31, 1956, Serial No. 588,503

2 Claims. (Cl. 240-64) This invention relates to a combined troublelamp guard and reflector.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a combined trouble lamp guard and. reflector wherein the wire part is hingedly connected to one side of the reflector part and adapted to be opened in door fashion to provide easy access to the interior of the reflector and to the lamp socket for the insertion or removal of the lamp bulb and wherein upon the wire part being closed, means is provided to prevent the over-running of the wire part upon the reflector part and the crushing of the lamp bulb.

It is another object of the invention to provide a combined trouble lamp guard and reflector in which the wire part is hinged to one side of the reflector part by its own wire and held on the other side of the reflector part by a simple catch lug formed of the reflector part by which the wire part also by its own wire is releasably latched to the opposite side of the reflector, the resiliency of the reflector being utilized as spring means to stay the catch portions of the two parts together and wherein by simply depressing the side of the reflector and at the same time lifting the wire part from the catch lug on the reflector part, the wire door part is opened.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a combined trouble lamp guard and reflector in which the attaching means for securing the combined lamp guard and reflector to the lamp socket handle is provided on the reflector itself making unnecessary the provision of similar or cooperating attaching means on the wire part and is in the form of a single band integral with the reflector there being necessary onlyone fastening screw to make the attachment of the device to the lamp socket handle.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a combined trouble lamp guard and reflector wherein the wire door part is hinged to one side of the reflector part and the other side of the wire part is adapted to be sprung onto the reflector part, with automatic stop means on the parts to prevent the wire door part from overriding in a crushing manner the side edge of the reflector part upon the wire door part .being closed upon the reflector part and wherein the stop means includes a projection running for considerable extent along the reflector and when taken with a long hinge connection of the reflector and wire parts, the wire part when closed upon the reflector part will be made stable, rigid, without looseness, and secure against axial displacement relative to the reflector part.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a wire door part for a combined trouble lamp guard and reflector which is made of horizontally and vertically-extending wire members simply arranged and wherein these members afford the hinge, catch, hook and camming formations of the wire part without need for supplying addi-. tional members to afford these functions.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a combined trouble lamp guard and reflector, having the above objects in mind, which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, inexpensive to manufacture, durable, strong and compact, easy to assemble upon the lamp socket handle, easy to open and eifective in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a top perspective view of the combined trouble lamp guard and reflector embodying the features of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view looking upon the catch and stop portions of the wire door and reflector parts,

'Fig. 3 is atop plan view,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the combined trouble lamp guard and reflector mounted upon the lamp socket handle with the wire door part released from its catch and in the open position to permit the removal or insertion of the lamp bulb,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of the invention utilizing stop means that is fixed on the wire parts, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of another modified form of the invention and showing a different type of stop means that is also fixed to the wire part.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, 10 represents a hollow reflector part formed of sheet metal, generally of semi-spheroidal shape, and having an inverted semi-conical depending portion 11. A separable attaching band 12 is integrally formed on the lower end of the depending portion 11. This band has outwardly bent projections 13 and 14 through which a fastening screw 15 is extended and made secure by a'nut 16. The reflector is placed over a lamp socket handle 17 and in groove 18 affording a shoulder 18' that will prevent the band from slipping oif the socket handle when the band projections 13 and 14 are brought together by the screw 15 and the band tightened upon the socket handle. By the semiconical portion 11 being upwardly and outwardly tapered the same can clear the shoulder 18' as the band is tightened Within the groove 18. A lamp bulb 19 lies within the reflector 10 when fitted in a socket 20 of the handle 17. The socket handle 17 also has a press button element 21, and outlet receptacle portions 22 and 23.

On one side of the reflector part 10 is a long hinge sleeve portion 24 that is rolled over one side of curved wire door part 25. This door part 25 is formed of a curved transversely extending closed loop wire portion 26 that has one side within the hinge sleeve portion 24 and its other side that is parallel thereto alfords a catch portion 27 adapted to ride over another elongated rolled sleeve projection 28 that extends outwardly from the opposite side edge of the reflector part 10. This catch portion 27 on the wire part 25 has a knob extension 29 intermediate its length and is laterally aligned with a small depression 30 in the opposite side of the reflector part 10. This sleeve projection is of suflicient length so that horizontal portions of the wire member 26 snugly overlie the ends of the projection 28 and thereby atford stop projections for further bracing the wire part upon the reflector part and hold it against vertical displacement relative thereto. The reflector part is made of sheet metal and has resiliency that thrusts the sleeve projection 28 outwardly through the end of the horizontally-extending wire member 26 of the wire part. reflector part thereby serves as the spring means for maintaining the wire catch portion 27 over the sleeve projection 28. 3

In order to prevent the wire part 25 upon being closed noon the reflector part and from overriding the reflector part and crushing thelamp bulb lying therewithin, a stop projection 31 is struck outwardly from the reflector part Thus, the resilient 3 adjacent and behind the sleeve projection 28. This stop projection 31 holds the wire catch portion 27 in a small space in rear of the projection 28 and positively prevents the collapse of the wire part upon the reflector part.

When it is desired to open the wire part to remove or insert a lamp bulb 19 the knuckle of the forefinger is placed in the depression 30 and under the knob extension 29 and the thumb is pressed against the sleeve projection 28 whereby the projection is forced inwardly and the wire part lifted thereover. The wire door part is swung free on the reflect-or part and need not be held upon removal or insertion of the lamp bulb. Once a bulb is inserted the wire door part is forced over the sleeve projection 23 and upon the reflector part. This operation has been effected without releasing screws and the need for the use of a screw driver or other tool. The wire part 25 will be rigidly held in this manner upon the reflector part and afford the same protection that other wire parts have done.

It will be noted that the wire door part 25 has three rigid wire members including the closed loop horizontallyextending member 26, a vertically-extending loop member 32, and a central vertically-extending member 33 which has an upwardly-extending hook portion 34 that extends upwardly beyond the upper end of the reflector part. The vertically-extending wire member 33 also has a vertical follower portion 35 leading to the hook, which, upon the wire door part being closed upon the reflector part, engages a cam projection 36 extending inwardly from the upper end of the reflector part andcauses the wire door part to be shifted laterally and guide the vertical catch portion 27 over the sleeve projection 28 upon the wire part being closed upon the reflector part.

In Fig. 5, reflector 10 has a depression 30 and a sleeve projection 28' that is shorter than the sleeve projection 28 on the reflector part 10 described above. A wire part 25 has a horizontally-extending closed loop wire member 26'. On the underside of this loop wire member and laterally spaced from the wire catch portion 27', there is secured as by welding on the rear faces of the vertically-spaced horizontally-extending wire portions a curved stop bar 37 providing a space 38 outwardly into which the sleeve projection 28 projects. Upon the wire part 25' being closed upon the reflector part 10' the inner edge of the curved stop bar will engage the ends of the sleeve projection 28' to prevent the inward collapse of the wire part over the reflector part and any possible crushing of the lamp bulb. The wire part 25 will be opened from the reflector part 10 in the same manner as above described.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a still further form of the invention wherein the stop member 40 is secured to the inner side of one of the horizontally-extending portions of a loop wire member 26". This top member is in the form of short wire piece that runs with the horizontallyextending portion and is turned up as indicated at 40 to run over the edge of the reflector part 10". This stop member 40 will not only prevent the overriding of the wire part upon the reflector part but lock the wire against outward displacement from the edge of the reflector part. A knob extension 29 on the side wire 27 is used in the manner above described to lift the wire part from the reflector part.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined trouble lamp guard and reflector comprising a hollow reflector part of resilient sheet material having opposite-vertical side edges, said reflector part having anattaching means on the lower end thereof for securing the same to a lamp socket handle, a wire door part hinged to one side edge of the reflector part, catch means on the opposite side edge of the reflector part engageable by the wire door part for securing the door part in its closed position upon the reflector part, said catch means projecting outwardly from the side edge of the reflector part and maintained in engagement with the wire part by the resiliency of the reflector part, stop projection means on one of said parts adjacent to the catch means to limit the closing movement of the wire part and prevent the wire part from crushing the lamp bulb lying within the reflector part, said wire door part including a vertically-extending wire member having a shoulder portion aligned with the upper end of the reflector part, said reflector part having a cam projection on the upper end thereof adapted to be engaged by the shoulder portion of the wire part and inclined to laterally move the wire door part to cause the wire part to easily override the catch projection means of the reflector part upon the wire door part being closed upon the reflector part.

2. A combined trouble lamp guard and reflector as defined in claim 1, and said wire door part having a horizontally-extending wire portion, said stop projection means comprising a short wire piece secured to the inner side of the horizontally-extending wire portion and turned up and inwardly therefrom at its engaging end, said short wire piece adapted to overlie and engage the side edge of the reflector part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,567,687 Benander Sept. 11, 1951 2,626,347 Baenziger Jan. 20, 1953 2,677,753 Heinz May 4, 1954 

